Ute Carbone's Blog, page 53

#SweetSat: Afterglow

Since my last Sweet Saturday post, I've had some exciting news. My romantic comedy, Afterglow, has been contracted by Champagne Books for a Jan. 2013  release.

So, without further ado, my Sweet Saturday Sample, the opening of Afterglow:


My first affair with Cherry Garcia lasted nearly threeweeks. It ended when my best friend Eva threw a shoe at my head. My Reeboksneaker to be exact. "Enough," said Eva from the bedroom door. "You cannotwallow forever. Besides which, I am getting very tired of walking alone. I'vestarted talking to myself, for God's sake. I've started talking to the dogsalong the way." She raised her arms like a conductor ready to strike up theband.   "Get your hiney downstairs infive minutes or I will dress you myself." She turned with runway model flourish and sauntered away. I do meansauntered. Eva was nothing if not dramatic.             I should never have given Eva a key to myhouse. But I had given Eva a key and she was repaying my trust by yelling upthe stairs, "Five minutes India," as though it were a curtain call. Knowingthat there was not the slightest chance that she'd give up and go away, I gotup, dug my oldest sweats from the bottom of the hamper and put on bothsneakers.             "Youlook like misery's leftovers," said Eva when I came down the stairs. I gave herwhat I thought was a smoldering look though in truth I don't smolder well.
Thanks for stopping by. For more sweet treats, check out Sweet Saturday Samples

The Insecure Writer: Has Anybody Seen my Funny?

So, I'm forty thousand words into my latest romantic comedy,Searching for Superman, and I've gota bad case of not very funny. Romantic comedy is supposed to be funny.  I don't know why, but Searchingfor Superman keeps wandering from the banana-peel strewn path. I've throwneverything I've got at it. Right now, I've got a wrecking ball poised to takedown the old theater that is the book's primary setting. A wrecking ball ispoised to punch a hole into the wall of the Rialto! I need a funny way out ofthe wrecking ball dilemma. I can't seem to find it. And, if I don't find it,the theater will be torn down and Stephanie the MC will be out of a job as willConrad, the theater manager and Stephanie's boss. It's a terrible situation andI need my funny back to solve it. If you see my funny, please tell it to come home.  Tell it I'll give it anything it wants. I'llmake it cocoa with those little marshmallows floating on top. I'll let itsnowboard from the roof, even though I think it's a dangerous thing to do.  Tell it I miss it. Just please, tell it  come home. 


Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh for allowing writers to spew forth insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month. If you'd like to join in, or to check out more writer angst, please visit Insecure Writer's Support Group

#Six Sentence Sunday: The Whisper of Time

My novella, The Whisper of Time, has just been contracted by Whispers Publishing.

Here are the opening six sentences of "The Whisper of Time"



Itfigured that I would get lost. Kyle was always telling me I had a terriblesense of direction. "Turn left," I would say and he would answer "Which left,Gwynn, yours or mine?"  I used to thinkeverything Kyle said was charming.         I'd since found out that Kyle, like GPS, had alimited range. Out here, in the middle of Vermont farm  country, my GPS hadstopped functioning.
Stay tuned for updates on this and other stories
.
For more excerpts, please visit Six Sentence Sunday

The Whisper of Time

I'm very excited to announce that my novella,  The Whisper of Time has been contracted by Whispers Publishing.
A novella is, depending on how you look at it,  a very short novel or a very long short story. Although I think long short story might be an oxymoron.




Here's a quick blurb:


When fate offers Gwynn Powell a chance to start over, shejumps at the chance. Laid off and living with a husband whose gambling problemhas eaten through a good part of their savings, Gwynn buys a farmhouse sightunseen, leaving both her marriage and her old home behind.But fate has more in mind for Gwynn than just a new home.The farmhouse, tucked away in the Green Mountains of Vermont where even GPS can'tfind it, is also a step back in time. And Slate Peck, the farm's caretaker andpart owner, is tied to Gwynn's destiny in ways she never expected.

Stay tuned for updates on the release!

Book Beginnings: The House on Fortune Street

I'm reading Margot Livesey's "The House on Fortune Street" this week. It's billed as a novel, but actually it's a series of four novellas, all around a single character. Here are the opening lines:"The letter came, deceptively, in the kind of envelope a businesslike friend, or his supervisor, might use. It was typed on heavy white paper and signed with the pleasing name of Beth Giardini."
This type of letter opening always intrigues me. My inner busybody wants to know what it says.

For more openings,  please visit A Few More Pages

A little incentive goes a long way

Rosemary Gemmell has given this blog a Liebster award. The word Liebster is German for 'dearest' and it is a sweet  gesture. Thank you Rosemary!
The idea is to pass the award forward to blogs with less than 200 followers. I'm extending it to a few of my favorites. Hope you'll check them out!

Darian Wilk: Crazy Lady with a Pen
Susan Roebuck: Susan Roebuck Blog
Holly Hunt: Rhythem Poets
Nadine Feldman: Nadine Gallinsky Feldman
Katherine Owens: Katherine Owens

Beanie's Grilled Chicken in Ginger Sauce

In Blueberry Truth, Beanie likes to cook. Here's another of her recipes:


Grilled Chicken in Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of boneless chicken thighs
Marinade:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tb sesame oil
2 Tb fresh grated gingerroot

2 tsp minced garlic
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper

Preparation:
1. Rinse chicken thighs under cold running water. Pat dry.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Whisk in rest of marinade ingredients. Remove 1/4 cup of marinade as basting sauce.
3. Marinate chicken in sauce for 4 hours in refrigerator.
4. Prepare grill
5. Grill chicken for 10-15 minutes until done, turning frequently. Baste with reserved sauce while cooking. Serve hot.


Blueberry Truth She'll steal your heart. Click on title for more information.

Chances Are

At the opening of Blueberry Truth, Beanie has planned a romantic evening. Her husband, Mac, has an emergency at the hospital where he practices. Beanie's not happy about being stood up.

 Johnny Mathis has sung "Chances Are" four times now, andchances are not awfully good Mac will be home anytime soon. I try to besympathetic; Mac is a pediatric cardiologist. His high-pressure job hasirregular hours, and he's stood me up before, though always with good reason.Mac wouldn't be Mac if he didn't go the extra mile for his patients. Butdespite all his good intentions, I'm about ready to throttle him.
 "Chances Are" was first released in 1957 and has been a favorite with romantics ever since. Here's Johnny Mathis, singing the original version.


Blueberry Truth is available as an e-book

#SixSentenceSunday: Afterglow

I'm excited to announce that my romantic comedy, Afterglow, is coming to Champagne Books next January. It's the story of a divorced middle aged woman who is given is a second chance at happiness. 
Here's a six sentence excerpt:
"I double dogdare you," he said.            I've raised two kids. I've taughtschool for twenty years. Sometime in the middle of the last century, I hadactually been a kid. If there was one thing I'd learned from all of thisexperience, it was that nobody can ignore a double dog dare. Not even if thedarer is a medical school graduate and the daree is a middle aged teacher inpajamas and flip flops.
For more great six sentence excerpts please visit Six Sentence Sunday

St Catherine's Center

In Blueberry Truth, the main character, Beanie, teaches at a school called St. Luke's. Blueberry is fiction and  St. Luke's doesn't exist in real life. But there is a real place in Albany, New York dedicated to  children like Blueberry Truth. 
St Catherine's Center for Children can trace it's history to 1886, when a measles epidemic in Albany led to the founding of an orphanage by the Sisters of Charity. In it's current incarnation, it is a leading provider of family services in New York State's Capitol District.
St. Catherine's is dedicated to supporting children who are abused, neglected, homeless or mentally ill as a result of early childhood trauma. Last year, over one thousand families were served by this agency.
For more information on St. Catherine's and the important work they do, please visit St. Catherine's Center for Children.


 Blueberry Truth is available as an e-book